Preprofessional Health Academic Program (PHAP)
Director of PHAP: Dr. Oscar Wambuguh
Office: North Science 113
Phone: 510-885-2366
E-mail: phap@csueastbay.edu
Biomedical Sciences
A student interested in entering medicine, dentistry, optometry, pharmacy, physical therapy, veterinary science, or allied health sciences should contact the Pre-Professional Health Academic Program at SCN 113 (510-885-4764).The current director of the program is Dr. Oscar Wambuguh, an associate professor of health sciences and pre-professional health advisor. The assistant director of the program is Dr. Allan Ancheta, a faculty member in PHAP also working as a pre-professional health advisor. Drs. Helen Kwan and Faezeh Manshadi are two additional faculty and pre-professional health advisors in the program. All advisors hold regular pre-health advising hours available in SCN 113 or by sending an e-mail to phap@csueastbay.edu. Peer student advisors (officers of the PHAP Student Club) hold regular office hours available at the PHAP office SCN 113. We also have tutors in each of the courses we offer available for consultation in SCN 113.
The Pre-Professional Health Academic Program will direct the student to a pre-professional advisor to receive program information and individual counseling about meeting the requirements for admission to professional schools. The program requires that students meet with academic pre-health advisors frequently throughout their college training. The program offers a letter service that organizes the student’s individual letters of recommendation as a package sent to professional schools.
The required courses for the various professional fields do not comprise a major, therefore the student is free to select any major. Accordingly, in addition to the pre-professional advisor, each student is assigned an academic advisor in their major as do all other students at the university. Admission to professional schools is highly competitive. Consequently, the major selected should be one representing an alternate career objective satisfactory to the student.
Students intending to enter the health professions should plan on completing a baccalaureate degree with an appropriate academic major. Many students major in biological sciences (any option), biochemistry or health sciences (pre-doctoral option B3), but majors in the social sciences and the humanities are acceptable to professional schools, provided the specified courses in science have been completed.
Admission to professional schools is restricted to those students who have developed a facility in the use of English and in quantitative thinking, who have mastered the fundamentals of the physical and biological sciences, studied in depth one of the major fields of knowledge, and obtained a competitive score in the required entrance tests.
Information about the new 2015 MCAT required for all pre-medical students is available here: https://www.aamc.org/students/applying/mcat/mcat2015/.
Students are urged to schedule this test during Spring of their junior year. The Dental/Optometry/Pharmacy/Veterinary Admission Test, required of all pre- by application throughout the year. Students should plan to take this test in Spring of their junior year. For further details, or visit the respective test websites.
Courses such as ANTH 3720 (Medical Anthropology), HSC 3300 (Healthcare Systems in the U.S.), PHIL 3152 (Biomedical Ethics), HSC 3200 (Environmental Health), HSC 3250 (Genes and Human Health), SOC 4720 (Medical Sociology) and HSC 3720 (Medical Humanities) will be of value to students in broadening their educational experiences and increasing their skills; in addition to preparing students for interviews at professional schools. Some of these courses may be counted for General Education, depending upon the major. More information is available at the program website or further discussion with a pre-health advisor.
Sample programs for pre-professional students in Medicine (including allopathic, osteopathic, podiatric, and veterinary medicine) and Dentistry can be found at http://www20.csueastbay.edu/csci/departments/phap/index.html. Please consult with a pre-health advisor first, before embarking on any of these programs.
Allied Health Fields
The following programs are offered by the university in the allied health fields. The Department of Biological Sciences has an Option in Biomedical Laboratory Sciences in its B.S. degree major. Options in Physical Activity Studies, Exercise, Nutrition, and Wellness, Therapeutic Studies, Social Justice, and Pre-Physical Therapy are in the B.S. degree major available in the Department of Kinesiology. The Department of Nursing and Health Sciences has a B.S. degree major both in Nursing and in Health Sciences. The graduate department of Educational Psychology has an M.S. in Counseling. Both B.S. and M.S. programs in Speech Pathology and Audiology are offered as well as a Clinical Rehabilitative Services Credential. The Department of Public Affairs and Administration offers an interdisciplinary Master of Science in Health Care Administration degree. These programs are described in the alphabetical listing in this catalog. Please contact the appropriate departments and schools for additional information.
Pre-Law Studies
The study of law is a postgraduate professional program, usually requiring three years of full-time study beyond the completion of the bachelor’s degree. No specific pre-law undergraduate program is required for admission to law schools. However, for students wishing to focus on legal studies at Cal State East Bay, the Political Science Department has a Pre-Law Option in the Political Science Major.
Students intending to enter law school commonly complete undergraduate majors in political science, philosophy, economics, business, or history. The pre-law student’s undergraduate plan of study should include among its objectives a facility in the proper use of written and spoken English, a sampling of undergraduate law courses, one or more critical/logical thinking courses, and a basic understanding of government and economics. Some law schools recommend that students take a basic accounting course, particularly if they are interested in business or tax law.
Students planning to enter law school should consult the Department of Political Science for additional information.
Most accredited law schools require that applicants complete the Law School Admission Test. The LSAT is typically given in September, December, February, and June at one or more testing centers in the Bay Area. Pre-law students should obtain LSAT registration materials and law school applications early in their final year of college. Copies of these materials can also be secured from the pre-law advisor in the Department of Political Science and from the Testing Office, Library, Room LI 3165A. The Political Science Department Library also has a copy of the Law School Guidebook and many law school catalogs.
Pre-Theological Studies
The American Association of Theological Schools recommends that students anticipating graduate theological education take a broad liberal arts program leading to the B.A. degree. A reading knowledge of at least one language other than English is highly recommended. Students should elect courses which will sharpen their conceptual processes (logic, scientific method, literary or historical research) and should have more than an introduction to the world of people and ideas, the world of nature, and the world of human affairs. Students planning to enter theological schools should consult the Department of Philosophy (MI 4006) about their major and baccalaureate degree.
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